Swinburne University Of Technology, Suntech Partner On Solar Research

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Swinburne University of Technology, located in Melbourne, Australia, has teamed up with Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. to create the next generation of solar cells. The university and Suntech will collaborate to develop solar cells that are twice as efficient and run at half the cost of those currently available.

Swinburne will contribute $3 million dollars to the venture, with Suntech pledging a further $3 million over the course of the collaboration. The project is also seeking funding from the Victorian Government.

Leading the group will be Swinburne Centre for Micro-Photonics Director Professor Min Gu and Suntech CEO Dr. Shi Zhengrong. Shi, who is also an Australian citizen, founded Suntech in 2001. According to Gu, the group's combination of research and business expertise will allow them to develop and manufacture the revolutionary solar cells within five years.

‘The project will be based around the development of nanoplasmonic solar cells,’ states Professor Gu. ‘This new technology allows for the efficient collection of solar energy in a wider color range than those currently being developed in other laboratories. These will be twice as efficient as the current generation of cells, and will also cost significantly less to run.’

SOURCE: Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd.

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